A day trip out of Seattle can bring you to play among the jagged peaks of the Cascade Mountains, soak away your worries in natural hot springs, kayak waterways shared by orcas in the San Juan Islands, float along rivers where bald eagles feed on spawning salmon… the list goes on and on. And as much as I sound like the Travel Channel right now, I am not embellishing. It’s really that awesome.

If you are a visitor to Seattle, therefore, it’s a must for you to get out into nature and take in some of the sublimity. Locals, too, are required to make an active practice of enjoying and exalting our outdoor utopia.

As a sun-worshipper from a famously rainy part of the world, it takes an extreme amount of discipline for me to sun safely overseas. In honor of National Skin Cancer Awareness month, I’m in need of a sun-safety reality check!

Okay, by now you’re familiar with the term “carbon footprint” - the carbon emissions created as a result of your meanderings.Since we’re all in that mindset, here’s something new to consider – your “water footprint”.